Finding things in Finder · Opening and using moved files
If I save a new file into a folder that was moved, where does it go?
Short answer: It can stay on your built-in drive. To make new files follow a moved folder, turn on auto-sync for it in What's Using Space → Relocated (N); new files are then moved to the drive in the background with a shortcut left behind.
It can stay on your Mac. When a folder's contents were moved file by file, the folder itself remains on your built-in drive, so something new you save there is stored there too until it's moved.
To have new files follow automatically, turn on auto-sync for the folder:
- Open What's Using Space and click Relocated (N).
- Click the grey sync badge on the folder's row.
With auto-sync on, new files added to the original location are picked up and moved to the drive in the background, with a shortcut left behind as usual. You can also turn it on when you confirm a move, using the Auto-sync toggle.
If you later choose Move back, anything written to the original location after the move is counted and included.